Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar ordered officials to address student complaints about basic facilities at a Backward Classes Welfare Department hostel in Kanakapura after making a surprise night visit to the premises.
The post-matric boys’ hostel is located near the Housing Board area of Kanakapura town in Ramanagara district. During the visit, Shivakumar ate with the students and asked about their welfare and the facilities available at the hostel, according to a report by Prajavani.
Students told him that bedsheets had not yet been provided. They also complained of bedbugs in the hostel and said that medicines or other treatment to control the infestation had not been distributed. The complaints point to gaps in the delivery of routine accommodation and sanitation services at a facility intended for students from the Backward Classes.
The students further said buses were not stopping near the hostel, forcing them to walk to college. The transport complaint places the hostel’s access issues beyond the building itself, affecting how residents reach their educational institutions.
After hearing the complaints, Shivakumar questioned Ramanagara Deputy Commissioner Yashwant V. Gurukar and Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Anmol Jain about why the promised facilities had not been provided and why implementation had been delayed. He then instructed the officials to immediately verify the students’ complaints and resolve them.
The report did not specify the number of students living at the hostel, the institution or institutions they attend, the cost of the pending supplies, or a deadline for completing the corrective measures. It also did not provide a response from the district administration on the bus-stop request. The next step identified in the report is an official inspection of the complaints and action to address them.
